Well the time has come and the team has been sent off to begin the long journey home. I already miss each of them so much, their lively spirits, their laughter, their willingness to serve do whatever is needed. Truly, such an incredible group of servants I was blessed to spend 10 days with. We had a wonderful finish to our trip, getting the chance to shop at a local market and then celebrating Easter weekend with the city and people of Addis. On Saturday night we had the chance to go to cultural dinner and enjoy traditional Ethiopian dance and cuisine. So good!! We also enjoyed Was, a staff member at Hannah’s Hope, and his mad dance skills which he shared with the audience that night. And yes…..we did get that on video!
On Easter Sunday we went to church and then got the chance to celebrate with the staff and children at Hannah’s Hope by joining them for a traditional coffee ceremony. Delicious popcorn and coffee was served and the team contributed a bag of mangoes brought back to Gambella for the feast. Leading up to Easter, many residents here have been fasting in preparation for Sunday. The whole staff was in pretty high spirits since a goat had been slaughtered earlier that day and then enjoyed by all the kids and staff at Hannah’s Hope to celebrate. We also brought over a big parachute for the kids to play with which was a big hit and made for lots of laughs.
Please join me in praying for the team as many of them will be flying for the next 24-30 hours. It’s a long trek.
Looking forward to sharing more with everyone in the coming months as we continue to identify new and long term ways to support and encourage the people and communities in Gambella, Ethiopia. This is just the beginning!
